NB Little League Opening Day Saturday
By Matthew Cannata | Sports Correspondent at April 18, 2024 | 9:00 am | Print
On Saturday, April 19, New Britain Little League will kick off its 57th season at Stanley Quarter Park. Sue Gibson, the first female president in league history, is excited about the potential for this season and hopes that the program will teach kids skills that go beyond the baseball and softball fields.
“Our goal is to not only help children develop into good ball players but to also help them develop into good citizens by teaching the meaning of sportsmanship and cooperation. We also want to help them learn their own strengths and weaknesses to build a foundation of self-confidence that will carry them through their little league career and many years after,” she said.
Being a president of a volunteer organization is no easy task, especially one the size of New Britain Little League. With it being Gibson’s first year in charge, she has come across many unexpected challenges.
“There’s been a couple of unexpected challenges. One of them being that registration numbers fluctuated quite a bit from the previous year. In order to offer a fair and balanced level of play we felt it was best to restructure our divisions which resulted in a full redraft of our competitive (baseball) divisions,” Gibson said. “Another challenge NBLL has faced, as well as other local leagues, is the field conditions. This past winter was heavy with snow which lasted a long time. Once things began to melt, the fields were already so saturated there wasn’t any place for the water to go. We had to wait longer than we would have liked before we could get out onto the fields to even start practicing.”
It all hasn’t been easy leading up to this point but Gibson and her Board of Directors have remained calm and positive in the light of many challenges.
“No matter what challenges I’m faced with, the rewards far outweigh those challenges. In addition to being President I also coach on my son’s team. A day outside with my team, teaching and watching them learn to play and love the sport while building self-confidence and forming friendships that will last a lifetime is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever been a part of. To walk around our parks and see the same throughout all of our teams in the league is the best reward I could ask for.”
The league, which revised many policies and structures in the offseason, has 36 teams that consist of over 400 players ranging from ages four through sixteen. The season officially begins on Saturday and will end on June 14. Playoffs for competitive divisions will then begin.
Richard Gadomski, Vice-President of Operations, says that there will be a lot of various activities on Saturday for people of all ages and encourages the public to come down to take it all in, even if they aren’t a part of the league.
“We will have a face-painting station, numerous bounce houses, and a DJ playing music all afternoon. In addition, the Boy Scouts will have a booth set up with information, the New Britain JROTC will be having a bake sale, Rocky the Rock Cat will be in attendance and of course, we will have concessions with hot dogs, hamburgers, Spanish food, cold drinks and more,” he said. “In addition to all of that, we are holding a raffle that will feature prizes such as Red Sox tickets, signed baseball memorabilia and more.”
The baseball program, which has 32 teams, is managed by Frankie Adorno, whose official title is the Vice-President of Baseball. The softball program has four teams and is overseen by Jose Rivera, whose official title is the Vice-President of Softball.
Ceremonies will take place at Stanley Quarter Park at 11 a.m. and games will officially begin afterwards. Special guests such as Mayor Erin Stewart, Parks and Recreation Coordinator Matthew Scofield and Superintendent of Schools Kelt Cooper will be in attendance during ceremonies. If it rains, ceremonies will be held on Saturday, April 26.
